New Kubernetes Driver in Magnum

Announcing the New Kubernetes Driver in Magnum

We are excited to announce the launch of a new Kubernetes driver in Magnum, built on the Kubernetes Cluster API. This new driver represents a significant advancement and brings enhanced capabilities to better serve our users.

Key Differences from the Previous Driver

Our new driver introduces several important changes compared to the old driver, which was based on OpenStack Heat. Here are the key differences:

1. Updated Kubernetes Version Support
   • Old Driver: Supports Kubernetes versions up to v1.28.
   • New Driver: Supports Kubernetes v1.29 and above.
2. Enhanced Operating System Support
   The new driver uses Ubuntu as the base operating system, transitioning from Fedora CoreOS for improved consistency and familiarity.
3. Switch to Calico Networking
   • The new driver uses Calico as the default networking solution instead of Flannel, bringing improved network performance and security. Calico offers several advantages:
4. Kubernetes Upgrade Capability *
   Users can now upgrade Kubernetes within the new driver, addressing a frequently requested feature.
5. 
   
6. GPU Support
   The new driver enables support for GPU (available at a later date), facilitating workloads that require enhanced computational power.
7. Improved Stability and Deployment Speed
   The new driver enhances both stability and deployment speed, ensuring a smoother and more efficient experience when managing clusters.

Important Note: As these changes are significant, we recommend testing existing applications with the new driver before deploying in production. Please note that it is not possible to migrate an existing cluster from the old driver to the new; a new cluster will need to be created.

In the future, we will only support the new driver, with plans to deprecate the old Heat driver as upstream support is phased out.

If you would like to try the new driver, here is a list of cluster templates.

+--------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| c97af609-18e9-4581-98d3-37a1ddaeee6e | kubernetes-v1.29.9-melbourne-qh2-v1     |
| 5eee3a21-4f11-43c0-ab77-d2337b4e3eeb | kubernetes-v1.29.9-melbourne-qh2-uom-v1 |
| 463239ad-ede9-43a6-814d-d277fdb798fc | kubernetes-v1.29.9-monash-01-v1         |
| dd0b1285-fccd-4b60-8f68-36e7b3d412a9 | kubernetes-v1.29.9-monash-02-v1         |
| 9e371110-03e0-4874-a710-02ec4ee4ee4b | kubernetes-v1.29.9-intersect-v1         |
| a6cab55a-1a71-4233-bc92-d658bf75762a | kubernetes-v1.29.9-tasmania-v1          |
| bac1d480-49af-47d6-8dd8-c7ff43ea820d | kubernetes-v1.29.9-auckland-v1          |
| 119a2d68-89ff-403f-9a68-ac6ebf2abd70 | kubernetes-v1.29.9-QRIScloud-v1         |
| 7b365875-d603-42f5-87b2-85417d79fe64 | kubernetes-v1.29.9-ardc-mel-1-v1        |
| 5b6d6790-1a2c-4dfa-bb31-0fea286b982f | kubernetes-v1.29.9-swinburne-01-v1      |
| 6a9343d5-c98b-465b-9af8-18307305494c | kubernetes-v1.30.5-melbourne-qh2-v1     |
| c9c1eb96-b893-4e56-a943-170eafcb9b84 | kubernetes-v1.30.5-melbourne-qh2-uom-v1 |
| 32ef6d5f-12e3-462a-8b63-273dfb340055 | kubernetes-v1.30.5-monash-01-v1         |
| ae7bf373-e393-47b8-9a98-fd832b9b094c | kubernetes-v1.30.5-monash-02-v1         |
| 813a5f4d-f3f8-458e-815b-ac0adfcd461b | kubernetes-v1.30.5-intersect-v1         |
| 16fecb3e-03b6-4e01-86ac-9132cb0ac4c2 | kubernetes-v1.30.5-tasmania-v1          |
| 410c24c4-8346-4958-9f27-16542e99292b | kubernetes-v1.30.5-auckland-v1          |
| b3212707-bca9-4a44-914b-a265f0c20b04 | kubernetes-v1.30.5-QRIScloud-v1         |
| d35f78f8-dc12-492b-8bb8-48dbd62d6e88 | kubernetes-v1.30.5-ardc-mel-1-v1        |
| 86000f3e-1c2b-4986-ae31-6ec6315183d5 | kubernetes-v1.30.5-swinburne-01-v1      |
| c1a2dfe9-bb8c-4bce-82ea-75562e9265c6 | kubernetes-v1.31.1-melbourne-qh2-v1     |
| 4af680cb-5c6a-4063-ab1c-5842a1ad8352 | kubernetes-v1.31.1-melbourne-qh2-uom-v1 |
| d820f32f-25f4-4ac0-96c8-423772c9ea0a | kubernetes-v1.31.1-monash-01-v1         |
| 05d989e6-128c-464f-8fb5-85f12a0faf53 | kubernetes-v1.31.1-monash-02-v1         |
| 251bcd23-e4c4-4425-b21f-1c7691c39271 | kubernetes-v1.31.1-intersect-v1         |
| 4a1cbaf1-df4c-410c-8906-3aaf5f809032 | kubernetes-v1.31.1-tasmania-v1          |
| 518cc7c1-eacd-4106-864c-0bb320f2ed90 | kubernetes-v1.31.1-auckland-v1          |
| 6a469735-a5e9-4f19-8432-d09b37453ddf | kubernetes-v1.31.1-QRIScloud-v1         |
| cae7d743-20ba-4abd-9a1a-436a5329b30f | kubernetes-v1.31.1-ardc-mel-1-v1        |
| 9dceade0-b0b7-435b-a2ca-f6e63da9e1fa | kubernetes-v1.31.1-swinburne-01-v1      |
+--------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+

* Please note that users currently cannot trigger upgrades independently to prevent accidental upgrades from the old driver to the new driver. Only clusters created with the new driver will be eligible for upgrades. This limitation will be lifted in a future update.

This document was generated with the assistance of AI tools. ARDC staff have reviewed the content for accuracy and completeness.